The present invention relates to a multi-component heat shield. More particularly, the present invention provides a multi-component heat shield for use in a motor vehicle.
The exhaust systems currently found in motor vehicles such as car, vans and light trucks typically include a number of elements designed to operate at elevated temperatures. Devices such as catalytic converters, mufflers and portions of the exhaust system piping commonly reach temperatures well over 800.degree. F. during normal vehicle operation. The temperature of a catalytic converter may exceed 1200.degree. F. during prolonged periods of motor idling.
It is Particularly important, for obvious reasons, to shield both the Passenger and storage compartments of a vehicle from the excessive heat Produced by its exhaust system. Over the past several years, however, it has become increasingly more difficult, due to overall trends in the automotive industry, to protect passengers and cargo from exhaust system heat.
To meet fuel economy standards, automakers have generally down-sized and streamlined their vehicles and powered them With compact, high performance engines which work harder and operate at temperatures considerably higher than the larger, less sophisticated engines employed ten or fifteen years ago. Moreover, to reduce pollutants and meet federally mandated emission standards, pollution control devices specifically designed to operate at elevated temperatures have been added to vehicle exhaust systems.
Thus, late-model vehicles produce more engine and exhaust system heat than their older counterparts and afford less space for dissipating this heat. Accordingly, it is not uncommon to find 800.degree. F. exhaust pipes or a 1200.degree. F. catalytic converter positioned within a few inches of a vehicle's floor. Not surprisingly, there have been a number of reported cases where passengers have received severe burns from contact with the metallic floor of a pick-up truck or van, as well as incidents where cargo has been damaged from the heat present in an inadequately shielded storage compartment.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, light weight heat shield which will effectively reduce the heat transmitted from a vehicle's exhaust system to its passenger and storage compartments.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an improved heat shield which is also adapted to fit within spaces of limited clearance between the vehicle's exhaust system and its floor.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such an improved heat shield which may be installed on the vehicle at the factory or as an aftermarket improvement.